On Saturday, Mahma Khalil, a leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and former Iraqi MP, said there is no chance that the two main Kurdish parties—the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK—will agree on a single candidate for the presidency. Instead, he expects each party to put forward its own candidate to parliament.
Khalil told dinaropinions.com, “The differences between the two parties are deep, and there isn’t enough time to reach an agreement on one candidate.” He added that the presidency is a position for the Kurdish component, not for any specific party, and emphasized that every party has the right to present its own nominee.
He compared the upcoming vote to the recent election of the Speaker of the House and deputies, saying both parties will likely present candidates, and parliament will decide under its dome.
Meanwhile, Ahmad al-Harki, another PUK leader, confirmed to Al-Maalomah News Agency that the presidential race is still unresolved. He said that meetings scheduled for Saturday would help outline a clearer roadmap for the next phase of the process.
For now, it looks like the KDP and PUK will head into parliament with separate candidates, continuing a longstanding pattern in Kurdish politics.
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